why it's bad for the middle class

Below are some articles if you would like to read more about Janus, the special interests behind the lawsuit, or the relationship between the decline of unions and the decline of the American middle class.

Who's Behind the Janus Lawsuit? from The American Prospect

"This case is about whether a small group of wealthy donors and corporations is able to rewrite some of the nation’s most fundamental rules to serve their own interests at the expense of the public good. Public-sector workers provide critical services on which every community depends. [...] If the Supreme Court is persuaded by these powerful corporate interests to prohibit unions from collecting fees from the workers they are required by law to represent, working people and the communities they serve will suffer the consequences."

How today’s unions help working people from the Economic Policy Institute

As union membership declines, so does the middle class. The graphs below show: the percent of income going to the middle 60% of families decreasing over the last 60 years, tracking the decrease in union membership, and the percent of income going to the top 10% increasing at the same time.

The organizations financing the attack on unions’ ability to represent workers from the Economic Policy Institute

Strengthening collective bargaining is essential to reforming the rigged economy from the Economic Policy Institute

“The steady decline in unionization over the last 40 years has led to rising inequality and stagnant wages for the American middle class. Not only do union workers earn higher wages, unions have strong positive effects on the wages of comparable nonunion workers, as unions help to set standards for industries and occupations.”